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Nice score on the Richard Johnson K5 Kamado. It looks to be in pretty good shape for as old as it is. I'd guess that it's from the mid-late 90's era based on the wheel cart. Later models had a leg type base with wheels. As for cleaning the inside you might try a soft nylon brush to get some of the loose stuff off the sides then follow up with a shop vac to get all the ash and whatever brushed off the sides. You may have to do a little scraping on the bottom if the ash hardened a bit. That should get it pretty clean. I have a K5 and measured the fire bowl which turns out to be 8" dia. If you can't get the bowl puzzle re-cemented, you might look into something like a Lodge cast iron trivet. http://shop.lodgemfg.com/camp-ovens-and-grills/cast-iron-trivet-meat-rack.asp It's a close fit and may work. Kamado owners have used this in the past on smaller K's and it works well. Some other brand Kamado's also use cast iron for charcoal grates and you would have to research that to find a grate that would work for you. Another lead is Kamado Rocket, which supposedly bought out RJ's operation. They may have a replacement part however I don't know how responsive they are. Actually, it's Galaxy Outdoors. https://galaxyoutdoor.com/buy-kamado-rocket-one-bbq-grills-online/ I would highly recommend a charcoal basket too. RJ used to sell them as an option and they are well worth the money. A good source today is KickAsh Baskets. https://www.kickashbasket.com/ The basket will make it easier to remove unused charcoal and clean the ring and bowl of ash. It also keeps the hot coals from sitting directly on the bowl and ring. Just my opinion but I think that this helps prevent the bowl and ring from cracking. As for tile repair / replacement, I've attached a PDF that RJ posted or sent out some time back. I hope all this helps and good luck. Let us know how it turns out. BTW, Welcome to the Kamado Family. MinorTileRepair1.pdf

Any chance you could rent a Low Boy trailer with a ramp? It might make things easier. You're right that the K5 is ~ 400# and the K7 is ~ 550#. Usually the charcoal bowl and the ring supporting it are stuck in place pretty firmly. Removing it could be a challenge. Let us know how you make out.

I have an RJ Kamado and noticed that the temp is higher towards the back of the grill than the front. I end up rotating whatever I'm cooking 180 deg. front to back halfway through the cook to even things out. IIRC, there was a comment on the Naked Whiz's web site stating that some(?) Kamados cook hotter at the back than the front. I never paid much attention to the charcoal burn pattern so can't answer your question directly. I use a charcoal basket and have the charcaol bowl in place for all cooks. Having the charcoal grate in may alter the air flow though for you. You could try setting up two meat grate thermo's - one in back and one in front - just to see what the difference is.

Pot Roast! Sear some chuck roast, add some wine and beef broth, carrots, taters, 'shrooms and let it simmer away. Serve with some warm corn bread. Great Eats!

Thanks for the reply. Glad it turned out great! That's almost exactly what what I do with a spatched turkey. Keep it simple.

So how did it turn out for you?

Welcome to the Forum!

Welcome to the forum and the Southwest. BBQ'ing in AZ in the summer at 100+ degrees can be a challenge. I found that if the sun is beating down on the cookers, the chances of a temperature rise are going to happen. My offset and other metal grill get over 140 degrees when sitting in the sun without a fire in them. The Kamado's are not as bad but still soak up external heat and affect the cooking temp. You will definitely see a difference in the smoke profile between the offset and the Kamado. You'll have to see which you like best. Hope you have shade when you are Q'ing and stay cool!

Had one more thought - too late to edit my original post. If you prep the chicken ahead of time and put in in a aluminum pan, you could add a little chicken broth or stock to the pan before covering it to keep the chicken moist.

You're setting yourself up for a lot of work, in my opinion. From personal experience I would pull the butts before going to the party. You could pull the butts, put them in covered aluminum pans and keep them warm in your oven. Transfer them to a cooler for transport and put them out when it's time to eat. I would do the same with the chickens. Hacking up chickens for sandwich meat will take some time. It's less pressure on you and you can spend time visiting with guests rather than trying to hold a conversation while busting your butt(s). Keep in mind that if you are offering sandwiches, you will have to prep and set up the service area - rolls, sides, chips, onions, tomatoes, - whatever. That takes time also. My wife and I found that prepping everything in advance makes for a lot easier hosting job and relieves a lot of pressure on us to get things done. BTW, our usual family gatherings consist of 30 to 40 folks or more. One other suggestion is to use disposable chafing pans. A quick search brought up this site. Might be worth a try. https://www.partycity.com/chafing-dishes-aluminum-pans Good Luck and Congratulations on your son's first birthday.

That's probably Richard Johnston, the original Kamado producer. If you are looking at lift tubes - what I call them - the original ones were spring loaded. The newer ones from Galaxy, I believe, are the type found on tail gates of SUV's only heavier duty and matched for the task. There used to be an older poster on the original Kamado forum who purchased a K9 - the largest at the time - and he set up a pulley system with counter weights to help him lift the lid.

How far is your router from the unit? Maybe try moving the router to a different location. The problem could be due to a weak signal. You might even try moving the iKamand near the router just to see if the two will talk to each other. Hope that's all it is and not a bad device. Good Luck.

Nice looking Blueberry pie. Did you par bake or blind bake the pie crust before putting the filling in? Doing that may result in a better bottom crust in spite of the heat loss when placed in the oven. Just a thought.

Welcome to the forum from another former Wisconsinite. Beer, cheese, brats and Packers plus a new Kamado Joe. What could be better? You and your Dad will really enjoy the new cookers.